First Minister reveals possibility of easing lockdown soon to allow friends and family to meet outdoors

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that Scotland is hopefully gearing up for the biggest relaxation of the lockdown yet which could see people permitted to visit friends and family from other households.

The full road map will be released on Thursday and will outline the phases for a start to a return to normality although without specific target dates which will all depend on the scientific evidence.

Ms Sturgeon did confirm that the most likely time for any easing of the lockdown would be the next review date of May 28 after which the country can start 'a journey to a better balance, I hope, than the one we have today'.

That will take account of the up-to-date estimates of the transmission rate or R number, the number of cases and the latest National Records of Scotland report on deaths from Covid-19.

If sufficient progress is made then a number of activities could then be permitted, within a few days of the review date including:

• outdoor activity such as sitting in the park;
• meeting someone from another household outdoors while observing social distancing measures;
• some limited outdoor sporting activities like golf and fishing; and
• the opening of garden centres and recycling facilities and the resumption of some outdoor work.

Ms Sturgeon began the latest briefing by revealing that the guidance for Covid-19 symptoms now includes those who 'notice a lot of or change in your sense of taste or smell'.

Anyone with this symptom must now self-isolate for seven days and other members of the household should stay at home for 14 days.

The First Minister also announced the expansion of the number of people who can be tested for Covid-19 for everyone over the age of five who displays symptoms with priority being given to key workers.

She said: “It will help more people to know if they have the virus and it will also be very helpful as we build towards a strategy of test, trace, isolate and support – something that as you know will be especially important as we start to emerge gradually from the lockdown.

“That is relevant to the final issue I want to talk about today.

"I can confirm today that we will publish on Thursday our route map setting out a phased approach to easing lockdown measures.

“This will take account of the up-to-date estimates of the transmission rate or our number and the number of cases, it will also take account of the latest national records of Scotland report due on Wednesday on the number of deaths from Covid-19.

“The route map that we publish on Thursday will give a more detailed indication of the order in which we will carefully and gradually seek to lift the current restrictions.

“Like other countries, we will not yet be able to put them dates on all of the different phases because timings must be driven by data and evidence.

"It will also be important that we assess the impact of measure in one phase before moving on to another.

“We will continue to take a cautious approach that ensures the virus is suppressed to restore as much normality as possible when it is safe to do so, however, Thursday’s route map will confirm that assuming that we see progress in suppressing the virus the first phase will start from the next formal review date of May 28.

“Within a few days of that we will aim to allow, for example, for outdoor activity such as being able to sit in the park; meet up outdoors with someone from another household as long as you stay socially distant; some limited outdoor sporting activities like golf and fishing; the opening of garden centres and recycling facilities and the resumption of some outdoor work.

“This first phase will coincide with our ability to start on a phased basis a substantial test, trace and isolate operation to help us keep the under control as we start to ease up these restrictions and that part is absolutely crucial.

“Thursday’s route map will also set out an up-to-date assessment at that point of a phased return to school as guided by the considerations of the education recovery group.

“And from Thursday onwards we will have to set out guidance for key industries on the changes they will need to make to ensure that their employees and customers are safe in advance of further changes as well as setting out advice on travel and transport.

“So within two weeks my hope is that we will be taking some concrete steps on the journey back to a form of normality.

"As I said before it will not be normality exactly as we knew it because the virus will not have gone away, but it will be a journey to a better balance, I hope, than the one we have today."

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